Cops kill one, arrest three after firefight
By Mogomotsi Magome
A suspect has been killed and three others arrested after a shootout with Tshwane Metro Police officers.
Metro Police spokesperson Louise Brits said the men were stopped by the officers at the corner of Nelson Mandela Drive and Vermeulen Street during a stop-and-search operation on Saturday.
"The officers noticed a suspicious Jetta with four occupants and decided to follow it to establish what the men were up to," she said.
The officers stopped the car, but one of the men jumped out and tried to run away. The officers gave chase.
Brits said the suspect ran to a bridge, turned around and opened fire on the officers.
The officers first returned fire with rubber bullets.
When the suspect continued shooting at them, they switched to real bullets, Brits said.
One of the officers shot the suspect in the neck. He was declared dead on arrival at the Pretoria Academic Hospital.
His gun was recovered at the scene. The serial numbers had been filed off.
Brits said the three other suspects would appear in court soon on charges of illegal possession of a firearm, which is believed to have been stolen.
Brits said the officer who fired the fatal shot would face a charge of murder.
She said the Jetta in which the suspects were travelling was not stolen. It belonged to a brother of one of the suspects.
